Automatic weather-strip for doors.



No. 65l,009. Patented lune '5, I900. B. ERLANDSON.

AUTOMATIC WEATHER STRIP FOR DOORS.

. (Application filed Feb. 28, 1900.)

(No Model.)

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

BERGER ERLANDSON, or SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

"AUTOMATIC WEATHER-STRIP FOR DOORS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 651,009, dated June 5,1900, Application filed February 28, 1900. Serial No. 6,840. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, BERGER ERLANDSON, a citizen of the United States,residing in the city and county of San Francisco, State of California,have invented an Improvement in Automatic Weather-Strips for Doors; andI hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exactdescription of the same.

My invention relates to a device for closing and sealing the space atthe bottoms of doors and the like.

It consists of a sealing-strip adapted to close against the sill orsurface below the door. or window, a lever by which said strip iscarried, and mechanism by which it is automatically actuated to depressthe strip and make a tight joint when the door is closed and to allow itto rise clear of its seat when the door is opened.

It also comprises details of construction which will be more fullyexplained byreference to the accompanying drawings, in

which- Figure l is a transverse vertical section through the bottom of adoor, showing the Fig. 5 is a View of the difierent stops used inconnection withmy weather-strip.

In devices for forming joints at the bottom of doors or windows whichare exposed to the inrush of wind, rain, or snow it is desirable to forma tight joint at the instant when the door is closed and to relieve thefriction of the sealing parts'when the door is to be opened, so as toallow the latter to move freely and easily. It is also desirable toprovide a means for adjusting the parts so that they can be made tocompensate for any shrinkage'in the door, its casing, or surroundingparts and which would otherwise produce a more or less inefficient seal.

It is the object of my invention to provide for such a seal andadjustments therefor. The sealing surface or edge may be made of anysuitable or desired material. I have found that a sheet of rubber foldedupon itself, so as to form a flexible and elastic bight,

as shown at A, and means for holding it so that it will extend acrossthe entire width of the door or window opening, with means for of an Lshape and the part 3 fitting against the longer vertical portion of theL and its edge abutting against the part which extends at right angleswith the first-named portion, so that when the two parts are securedtogether the folded portion of the elastic strip extends between thepart 3 and the longer vertical part of 2 and is thence turned at rightangles by its compression between the upper extension of 2 and the upperedge of 3, as plainly shown in the drawings. This bar is mounted uponone end of a lever-arm 5, which is here shown as centrally located andhaving points, as shown at 6, which enter the bar 2 and a central holefor the screw, by which the bar is firmly drawn against the end of thelever 5. The points 6, entering the part 2, look it firmly with relationto the lever 5 and prevent its turning or twisting out of position. Thusthe single lever centrally located will ordinarily be sufficient tosupport the sealing device, which extends the full length of the bottomof the door from its central point of support. This lever-arm 5 is ful:crumed,as shown at 7 ,between the outwardlyprojecting lugs 8 of a yokeor frame 9,-which extends upwardly within an exterior casing or housing10. This'casing or housing may either be secured to project outside ofthe lower part of the door or it may be set into the bottom of the door,so as to lie flush therein and to be covered by an exterior plate 11.Within this casing the part 9 is-vertically movable and is raised orlowered for the purpose of adjustment by means of a screw 12, so locatedas to be accessible from the top by the removal of the plate 11 when thecasing is sunk into the door or directly when it lies upon the outside.The object of thus raising and lowering this yoke or carrier is toadjust the apparatus to suit the size of the opening beneath the doorand any shrinkage or alteration in the relative position of thethreshold or seat and the bottom of the door. Thus when the carrier 9 israised it lifts with it the fulcrum 7 of the lever 5 and correspondinglyraises the connected parts, and when depressed a like depression ofthese parts takes place.

In order to normally raise the bar carrying the sealing-strip A, I haveshown a spring 13, the lower end of which is adapted to press upon therear end of the lever 5, and the upper end is suitably fixed in theupper part of the carrier 9. One form of this spring and method ofsecuring it is well shown in the drawings herewith; but it will bemanifest that the character of the spring and its shape may be modifiedto suit conditions.

The lever-arm 5 has a downwardly-projecting point at the outer end, asshown at 1-1. This point is adapted to engage with the curved plate 15,which is fixed in the threshold of the door and in the line of movementof this lever, so that when the door is closed the point 14, moving overthis plate, pushes up the inner end of the lever against the pressure ofthe spring 13, and thus depresses the flexible elastic tube A intocontact with the threshold or surface beneath the door or like part, andit will thus prevent any air, rain, snow, or the like entering throughthis part. As the sealing-strip is fitted into a groove or channel inthe bottom of the door, it will be seen that when it is thus depressedthere will be a passage left over the top of the sealing-strip throughwhich air would ordinarily find its way if the wind was blowing in thatdirection, and in order to preventthis the projecting edges 4 of thesealing-strip are so located with relation to the side of the channel inwhich the device operates that when the part A has been depressed uponthe threshold the edge a will have moved in an arc of a circle (shown indotted lines) which will bring it into contact with the side of thechannel in which the sealing-strip is movable, and this forms a tightjoint along the full width of that side, and thus prevents any entranceof air at that point. \Vhen the door is opened, the first movementallows the end 14 of the lever to follow the curvature of the plate 15,and the spring 13 acts to depress the lever and raise the scaling-stripA from the threshold, thus relieving all friction and allowing the doorto swing freely.

In order to lock the yoke or frame 9 at any point of adjustment, I haveshown a screw 16, passingthrough the side of the casing 10 and adaptedto screw into a corresponding lug or seat 17. The edges of the yoke orframe 9 and the corresponding faces with which it is adapted to contactare preferably corrugated or notched, so that when the two parts aredrawn together by the screw 16 they will be prevented from sliding uponeach other, and thus locked in place. These edges may also be inclinedor wedge-shaped to make them interlock more firmly. 20 are recessedrubber blocks fitted into the angles of the door-opening to prevent anyleakage at those points, and the sealing-strip forms a tight joint withthese blocks when the door is closed. Similar blocks 24: are fitted atthe center of the threshold when double doors are used to form a tightjoint where the doors meet, and there is a suitable metal support 25 andprotector for the elastic block, as shown. By making a channel in thebottom of the door to receive this sealin g-stri p the wood isweakened,and the joints between the vertical stiles and the bottom railare strengthed by strips of corrugated steel 22, which are driven intothe meeting edges, thus strengthening and binding them together. At theends of the channel in the bottom rail are fitted metal plates 23, whichlie flush and close the channel, also strengthening the door at thispoint.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination with a door, window, or the like, of a sealing deviceand closure for the opening at the bottom thereof, consisting of aclamping-bar standing on edge and carrying the sealing-strip, acentrally-fulcrum ed lever, horizontally disposed and to one end ofwhich the bar is rigidly attached, a plate with which the opposite endof the lever contacts when the door is closed, whereby the sealingstripis forced into contact with the surface beneath.

2. A weather-strip for doors consisting of a bar movable in a channelmade within the lower edge of the door, a eentrally-fnle-ru med ]everprojecting horizontally outward from the central portion of the bar andto one end of which said bar is fixed, and through which power istransmitted to raise or lower the bar, an elastic sealing-strip carriedupon the lower edge of the bar, and a corresponding sealing-stripprojecting from the side of the bar and adapted to form a closureagainst the inner surface of the channel when the bar has beendepressed.

3. In a weather-strip for doors, a bar movable in a channel formed inthe bottom of the door, and composed of two strips, with means forsecuring the two together, a horizontal inwardly-projecting lever havingmeans engaging one of said plates to prevent its turning with relationto the lever, means for operating the lever and a flexible sealing-stripfolded to form a tubular projection below the bar having the foldedportions clamped between the two parts of the bar, with the upper edgeturned at right angles and projecting from the side and adapted to forma closure against the side of the channel simultaneously with thesealing at the lower edge.

t. A weather-strip for doors consisting of a bar having an elasticsealing-strip secured thereto, a centrally-fulcrumed lever, and

means for tilting the same, to one end of which the bar is secured, saidleverhaving projecting points adapted to enter the bar and prevent itsturning with relation to the lever.

5. In a weather-strip for doors, a bar movable in a channel formed inthe bottom of the door, an elastic sealing-strip carried by said bar andadapted to simultaneously close against the threshold and against oneside of the channel, a eentrally-fulcrumed lever, to one end of whichthe bar is fixed, a plate secured to the threshold against which thedownwardly-projecting opposite end of the lever contacts when the dooris closed whereby the sealing device is depressed, and a spring actingagainst the upper part of the outer end of the lever whereby the bar andsealing-strip are raised when the door begins to open.

6. In a weather-strip for doors, a bar fixed to a centrally fulcrumedlever, said bar carrying a sealing-strip and movable up and down withina channel formed in the bottom of the door, a plate against which theouter end of the lever contacts to depress the seal when the door isclosed, aspring acting against the lever to raise the seal when the dooris opened and the lever retracted from the plate, and an adjustablecarrier within which said spring is located.

7. A weather-strip for doors comprising a sealing-strip, bars upon whichit is carried movable within a channel in the lower part of the door, acentrally-fulcrumed lever, to one end of which said bars are secured, acon tact=plate by which the outer end of the lever is raised and thesealing strip depressed when the door is closed, a spring located withina carrier and pressing upon the top of the outer end of said leverwhereby it is tilted and the sealing-strip raised as soon as the doorbegins to open, and an exterior casing with ad= justing and lockingscrew whereby the carrier and connected parts are raised or depressedand locked in place.

8. In a weather-strip for doors, a casing, a carrier and screws by whichsaid carrier is raised orlowered Within the casing and locked in place,a lever fulcrumed in the lower part of the carrier, and a spring locatedwithin the carrier and pressing upon the outer end of the lever wherebyit is normally depressed, a sealing-strip and bars by which it iscarried, said bars being fixed to the inner end of the lever andvertically movable within a channel in the lower part-of the door, aplate fixed in the threshold in. the line of movement of the lever andadapted to engage the lower part of the outer end when the door isclosed so as to raise this end and depress the sealingstrip.

9 In a Weather-strip for doors, a bar movable in a channel formed in thebottom of a door, a flexible sealing-strip carried by said bar,mechanism by which the strip is raised or depressed to form a closureagainst the threshold and recessed elastic blocks fixed in the angles ofthe door-casing and the threshold with which said sealing-strips engage.

10. In a weather strip for doors, a flexible sealing-strip carriedthereby, mechanism by which the bar is supported and automaticallyraised and depressed when the door is opened or closed, a channel formedin the bottom of the door within which said bar is carried and movable,elastic recessed blocks fitted in the angles of the door-casing andthreshold and at the meeting points of double doors, with which blocksthe sealing-strips form joints when the door is closed,

11. In a weather-strip for doors, a fulcrumed tilting bar a flexiblesealing-strip carried thereby, mechanism including a spring nor mallypressing upon the bar and a curved plate or surface, whereby thefulcrumed bar is raised when the door is opened and do pressed when thedoor is closed, a channel formed in the bottom of the door and throughone side thereof within which said bar is movable, metal plates formingclosures to the ends of said channel and corrugated plates driven intothe meeting ends-of the stiles and bottom rails upon the sides of thechannel.

1 In witness whereof I have hereunto set my iand.

BERGER ERLANDSON.

IVitnesses:

S. H. NOURSE, JESSIE O. BRODIE.

